Monday, 22 November 2010

Jack Frost, as depicted in the existential
art house classic Jack Frost (1997)

Remember the chaos caused by last winter's big freeze? Perhaps some of it could have been avoided if every region of Britain had access to a spiritual leader as innovative as the Bishop of Lincoln, who is set to bless the county of Lincolnshire's fleet of gritters for the eighth year running.

On 7 December the Right Reverend Dr John Saxbee will conduct the blessing, which entails reading prayers at gritter depots, for the final time, as he prepares for retirement in January. He will be hoping his successor continues the tradition, as he suspects the blessings may have had a very real effect on road safety in Lincolnshire:

"These annual 'Blessing of the Gritters' events have coincided with a dramatic reduction in the number of fatalities on Lincolnshire's roads. Perhaps that is not a coincidence, and as I look to my retirement in January I hope and pray that driving carefully and arriving safely will continue to matter to all who use our road network in the years ahead."

Meanwhile, rumours abound that pagan worshippers of Jack Frost are working on spells to counteract Saxbee's salty incantations...

Jack Frost, as depicted in the existential
art house classic Jack Frost (1997)

Remember the chaos caused by last winter's big freeze? Perhaps some of it could have been avoided if every region of Britain had access to a spiritual leader as innovative as the Bishop of Lincoln, who is set to bless the county of Lincolnshire's fleet of gritters for the eighth year running.

On 7 December the Right Reverend Dr John Saxbee will conduct the blessing, which entails reading prayers at gritter depots, for the final time, as he prepares for retirement in January. He will be hoping his successor continues the tradition, as he suspects the blessings may have had a very real effect on road safety in Lincolnshire:

"These annual 'Blessing of the Gritters' events have coincided with a dramatic reduction in the number of fatalities on Lincolnshire's roads. Perhaps that is not a coincidence, and as I look to my retirement in January I hope and pray that driving carefully and arriving safely will continue to matter to all who use our road network in the years ahead."

Meanwhile, rumours abound that pagan worshippers of Jack Frost are working on spells to counteract Saxbee's salty incantations...